On our recent trip to Yorkshire we wanted to take in a coastal path. A few details:
Date : 03-10-07
Weather : A little cloudy, but calm. Good walking weather.
Boots or approach : Approach shoes, good easy terrain.
Distance : 10.1km / 6.28 miles.
We start our walk at the car park of the former Benedictine Abbey at NZ 90193 11270. Obviously Whitby has associations with Dracula but the abbey seems to be deserted, maybe he was on the beach, well it was cloudy so the sun shouldn't be a problem
Heading south along a very well defined path (hence no map, it's not really necessary I mean even we didn't get lost finding the start), which was definitely hard to miss. A few minutes in I realised I'd committed a cardinal sin, I'd left my drinks back at the car! Now we weren't far in so going back wasn't a problem, however this is the coast so the opportunity for places selling over priced tat and drinks... erm I mean treasured mementos and competitively priced beverages... was good. Indeed the map showed a holiday camp not far away. The holiday camp took me back like only smell can as I entered the small (and let it be said good and sensibly priced - well I'd been in the lakes earlier) shop.
When I was a wee lad I used to spend most of my holidays on the East Coast. When I entered this shop there was a smell that took me back to being a small lad looking at naughty postcards and buying pop in shops similar to this one. It must be the combination of sea air and the detergent these places use, but they have a certain smell that I instantly recognise. It's not a bad smell, just something I've only noticed at the coast. I bought 2lt of Lucozade Sport and remarked to my mate that the smell in there took me back. If only the chip shop was open it'd have been perfect. Still we had to get to Robin Hoods Bay so we got a kick on, this was the furthest we got from the coast (100m from the cliff edge) I'd say.
This section of the Cleveland way is comparatively flat so no big descents to the shoreline, it's all cliff top walking. Therefore there are some not so helpful farmers (some good ones as well). As the sea erodes the cliffs (and there's plenty evidence of that the path is rerouted in places to take this into account, and old paths disappear) farmer's have kindly reminded everyone by spraying slurry right up to the paths edges. Charming behaviour, but at least they didn't go the whole hog.
After a short while you come across a light house and fog horn. The fog horn is absolutely huge! Thankfully it wasn't going off when we were there. The picture doesn't really do it justice. Making a mental note to drop some cash in an RNLI box when we can we climb the steps to continue south.
On a coastal walk the temptation is to keep watching the sea and I must say I did a fair bit of that, a fishing boat in particular kept my attention. But the cliffs also demand your attention, the sheer dramatic progress of erosion, the strata in the cliffs. The constant sound of the sea. If you ever get the opportunity to walk a sea path do so!
At some point we'll be going south, so maybe I'll get to do the Dorset Coastal Path.
After a hour or so we rounded the headland to see Robin Hoods Bay in the distance. Journeys end. It's also one of the steepest towns I've ever seen! Even mountain goats would get sick of climbing the streets here! It was a charming place out of season though and we sat eating our sandwiches, saying hello to the people we'd passed on the way down (it was a fairly busy path). Then to get to Whitby for some Touristy purchases - at work when anyone goes away they have to bring something sweet and edible back, so my lot got stuff from Whitby, Grassmere and York.
However the bus service out of season is very irregular, so thanks to some cunning advertising by the local cab firm (they put an ad in the bus stop comparing prices) we got a cab back to Whitby. Taking the 1000 steps up the cliff I took a few more shots, including one Vlad would be proud of.
This was a varied walk and I think the photo's speak for themselves. If you get the chance I'd try a coastal walk.
© Dazza